


How do I Know?

by MaraSenpai1997



Series: Happily Ever After? [3]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Friendship, M/M, Relationship Advice, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 21:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9923222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaraSenpai1997/pseuds/MaraSenpai1997
Summary: Phichit definitely was... something. Even after a month and a half of knowing each other, Seung-gil wasn't sure how exactly to describe Phichit. Sometimes the photographer was like a deep breath of air, and the next time it felt like if he wasdrowning.Seung-gil worries that his relationship with Phichit is going nowhere and gets advice from the most cuddly and grossest couple he knew. Apparently, it turns out that they are also his only real friends.





	

**Author's Note:**

> How do people even title their stories? I've been scrolling trough my list of music but they're all super dark and edgy (Hand of Sorrow, Deceiver of Fools, Murder, I see Fire, Soul Society, The plagues etc). I maybe should get a better fitting music list for my fluffy stories >///<
> 
> The response had been amazing, I'm honestly surprised how well part 1 did. This chapter isn't heavily SeungChuChu focussed and spends more time exploring friendship and Seung-gil feelings. (Though there is still some sweet interaction at the end.)

Phichit definitely was... something. Even after a month and a half of knowing each other, Seung-gil wasn't sure how exactly to describe Phichit. Sometimes the photographer was like a deep breath of air, and the next time it felt like if he was _drowning_. The warm smiles that made Seung-gil feel ill in the most pleasant way possible. Phichit's loud, obnoxious way of talking that Seung-gil had started to found endearing. The right moment when the sun hit Phichit and Seung-gil felt his mouth go dry. Seung-gil was almost convinced that Phichit it the human embodiment of the sun.

 

Feeling ready to drop dead, Seung-gil slumped on a small bench. His throat was raw and it stung, and his vocal cords probably had died on the spot. He at least couldn't blame them. He would also want to drop death right now.

 

His singing partner dropped on the bench next to him, looking as awful as Seung-gil fell. "I'm dead," the brunet croaked, rubbing his aching throat.

 

Seung-gil wondered who had the 'brilliant' idea to spend a whole day practising their singing. Singing was important- especially in a musical. But there was a thing as _too_ much singing. The Korean briefly wondered whenever he was even able to speak in the next few days.

 

Eyeing his co-star, Seung-gil tried to figure out something to say. Phichit had urged him to get closer to his co-stars, as they would be stuck in the same boat for a while. Though, this was definitely easier said than done- Seung-gil wasn't just a people person.

 

"You sang well," Seung-gil eventually settled on, not even having to lie.

 

Guang Hong was few years his junior with a fresh face and a lot of talent. He didn't have the same level of talent as Yuri had- but very little people had that. But the ex-theatre student was much better than people gave him credits for- he was a fast learner and was great at displaying emotions, both vocally and physically.

 

A flush crossed Guang Hong’s face, a hint of disbelieve crossing the man’s youthful face. “I don’t know what to say,” the actor stuttered, growing even redder in the face. “Coming from someone like you, I-” there was a brief pause. “Thank you!”

 

Seung-gil blinked at his co-star in confusion. He was just polite- he hadn’t expected Guang Hong to react so strongly to it. A few seconds passed and embarrassingly, Seung-gil felt his own face heat up. Had Guang Hong just complimented him? Or was he just being socially incapable and was implementing things the wrong way? The latter seemed more likely- Phichit even had half-heartedly commented that he should sigh up from a course on how to make friends. Though, considering the aloof air that had hung around them- Seung-gil doubted his soulmate had been serious.

 

“You’re,” Seung-gil muttered hesitantly. “Welcome?” Guang Hong smiled brightly, and Seung-gil mentally patted himself on the back. Maybe- by the end of his life- he would be able to have a proper conversation.

 

He wanted to continue to conversation, but he simply didn’t know how. Guang Hong was an easy person to talk with, very excitable, passionate and very knowledgeable. Well, knowledgeable on the most random and weird facts and he literally knew _everything_ about Leo- the man’s soulmate. Seung-gil wondered if he _ever_ would know Phichit as well as Guang Hong knew Leo.

 

Soothing his anxiety, Seung-gil tried once again to start a conversation. “How-”

 

“I think you're kind of amazing!” Guang Hong exclaimed, eyes bright with determination.

 

Taken aback by the actor’s sudden outburst, all Seung-gil could do was stare back, his face blank. Surprisingly, he sometimes forgot that he wasn’t the only socially awkward one. Without Leo at his side, Guang Hong was overall rather shy- though this was mainly around unfamiliar people.

 

A wounded noise made Seung-gil nearly topple off the bench. Snapping his gaze away from his co-star, he let his gaze wander to the source of the noise. Leo was leaning against the doorframe, holding two steaming cups. A terribly fake expression of hurt was painted on his face. Within a matter of a few seconds, a small grin was tugging the corners of his lips.

 

“I’m wounded. I’m gone for like an hour, and I’m already being replaced,” Seung-gil felt his throat tightening and his stomach churn. He had really, really screwed up.

 

This, apparently, was clearly visible on his face as Leo’s faked expression suddenly started to look real- real panic. “Just kidding,” the man covered up, giving Seung-gil a playful wink. “You’re a year too late- otherwise you might have a shot at that cute ass.”

 

A shaking breath brushed past Seung-gil’s lips. Socialising was difficult- too difficult. Maybe he should take up Phichit’s friendship course.

 

“Leo!” Guang Hong shrieked before he winched. “You’re evil,” the actor added in a whisper.

 

Glancing at the actor, Seung-gil saw him nursing his throat. The previous flush had brightened- now resembling a ripe tomato. Guang Hong was glaring at Leo, but there was no real hate lingering in the actor’s gaze- there was a particular fondness in Guang Hong’s eyes that made Seung-gil almost hurl. Those two were sickly in love- even worse than Chris and his husband.

 

“Love you too,” Leo chimed, handing Guang Hong one of the steaming cups of liquid. “Tea with honey- Emil recommended it.”

 

Guang Hong made a humming noise and started to sip from the liquid. Seung-gil could hardly believe how domestic they were- but it also made him long for it. Waking up in the morning next to each other, spending breakfast together, travelling together. Everything Seung-gil never thought he needed, but with Phichit in his life, there had been a certain urge for a domestic, almost movie-worthy life.

 

Seung-gil flinched when a foot nudges his. Ridding himself of the mushy thoughts, Seung-gil looked up and crossed gazes with Leo.

 

“And this one is for you,” Leo said kindly, offering Seung-gil the second mug.

 

Staring at Leo with a blank face, Seung-gil accepted the cup, curling his fingers around the warm porcelain. “Thank you,” he whispered, carefully sipping from the hot liquid.

 

For a while, Seung-gil just stared into the distance, leaving the two lovebirds on their own. They often weren’t too bad with their public display of affection, especially around others. But they had their moments where they were all gross and cuddly.

 

“Hey, Seung-gil?” with what he assumed must have looked like an empty gaze, Seung-gil looked to his right, staring at an excited-looking Guang Hong.

 

Fixing his gaze, Seung-gil offered his co-star a polite smile. “Yes?” he answered quietly.

 

“Do you want to join us to grab some dinner?” Guang Hong requested, sounding genuinely excited to have Seung-gil tag along. “Emil is paying- he and Michele want the house to themselves for the evening, and we wondered if you wanted to tag along?”

 

Seung-gil still struggled to fathom why these two kept inviting him along. After a lot of persuading, he had agreed on spending lunch with them once. Then it suddenly had been twice, thrice and then it became a habit. Yet he couldn’t find the reason why the asked him along. He was downright boring and with him around, they had to keep their flirting to the minimum, only occasionally holding hands or sharing food.

 

“I-” he nervously bit his lip. He didn’t want to ruin the possible friendship he had built with the two of them, yet he also had to take in consideration that today was ‘date night’. Or the only evening both Phichit and he were free from work. “I can’t. I already have dinner plans.”

 

The two looked at him in surprise, causing him to fidget in his seat. Was it the wrong thing to decline? Phichit would understand if Seung-gil cancelled on him, but on the other hand, Seung-gil had vouched to himself that he would try to actually build a relationship with Phichit. He didn’t want to be alone for the rest of his life, and he wasn’t ready to let his only opportunity for love walk out of his grasps.

 

“We’re betrayed,” Guang Hong moaned dramatically. “After we let you in,” a sob followed.

 

Slightly panicked, Seung-gil wasn’t sure whenever Guang Hong was serious or not, he shifted his gaze to Leo. The American looked annoyed with Guang Hong, though a faint hint of tenderness lingered in his eyes. Guang Hong probably was just being a drama queen- something he apparently was good at if he had to believe Leo.

 

Feeling like that he still had to say something, assuring them that he actually had dinner plans and wasn’t trying to ditch them, Seung-gil cleared his throat. Bad idea. Wincing, he drowned half the cup of honey-thee. Phichit was going to scold for pushing himself too hard.

 

"I _do_ have dinner plans," Seung-gil mumbled, hoping that his friends caught up on that.

 

Leo blinked in mild surprise. "You already said that," he pointed out. "And we _do_ believe you- Guang Hong is just being Guang Hong."

 

In response, Guang Hong pouted, glaring daggers at Leo. "What does that mean?" he mumbled, batting his eyelashes in a flirtatious way.

 

"That you're a first rank drama queen and you're giving Seung-gil anxiety," immediately, Guang Hong shot him an apologetic look.

 

"Sorry," he apologised, sounding sincere. "I sometimes let myself go," Guang Hong's ears grew red, almost blending with his reddish-brown hair.

 

"Apology accepted," Seung-gil blurted out. A few seconds passed, and a sudden rush of embarrassment crawled up his cheeks. What kind of response was that?

 

Thankfully, neither of his co-workers seemed to be bothered by it.

 

"Not to worry you or anything," Leo said carefully, eyes peering at his phone he had retrieved from somewhere unknown. "But shouldn't you be going by now? Usually, you leave a bit earlier on Tuesday than on any other day- presuming to meet up with your new friend?"

 

Seung-gil's mind went blank. Did they know about Phichit? If so, how did they knew? He hadn't exactly been boosting about his soulmate- vocally at least. Mentally he already had thanked whatever divinity watched over Earth thousand of times. It was still hard to fathom that someone like Phichit possible could be at his side for the rest of his life.

 

"Don't worry, we didn't stalk you," Guang Hong chirped. "We just noticed that you've been... happier the last month and a half. And behaving a bit differently."

 

Trying to process everything, Seung-gil gave his co-worker a blank stare, hoping that he would continue talking and explain.

 

"What Guang Hong is trying to say," Leo added, probably knowing exactly what his boyfriend's train of thoughts where. "You asked Guang Hong out of the blue to help you with picking out a new phone and install Instagram. Suddenly you come to me for advice on how to handle longer hair- though I heard you complain before that you wanted to cut it. Thirdly and lastly, you smile a lot at your phone, an awful lot. The smile is subtle but-" a tender smile crossed Leo's lips. "They seem to make you happy."

 

He hadn't noticed them. The smiles. He had been convinced that he had hidden the existence of Phichit entirely- he hadn't been in the mood to mix his social life- as far as he had one- and his job. Especially with the group of lunatics he had to work with. And, not to mention that two of the biggest idiots, JJ and Mila, no longer played a role in the sequel. But he was still stuck with Chris and Yuri, and Michele hadn't exactly been a pleasant addition either.

 

"He does," Seung-gil replied without much of a thought. "How do you guys do it?" he had uttered those words before he even could consider them twice. Was he seriously asking life advice from two people who were just fresh out of college? They probably didn't even knew how to pay taxes yet and still cried themselves to sleep thinking about their student loan.

 

"Do what?" Leo asked carefully. It seemed that Seung-gil's sudden question caused some alarm by at least the older one of the two.

 

Gripping the mug tightly, Seung-gil forced his explanation out of his mouth. "Fall in love. How do you do it?"

 

"You just do," Guang Hong answered quietly. A soft, lovesick smile on your face. "For us, it had been easy. We met, and there was the spark. The red string of faith. We slotted into each other's life with ease."

 

Honestly, Seung-gil hadn't expected anything less. He didn't know how long the two of them had been together, but he assumed for years, probably since childhood. "How, well-" Seung-gil took a deep breath. "What's a reasonable pace to develop a relationship?"

 

It had been nagging him for ages. He and Phichit know each other for almost a month-and-a-half, and nothing huge had happened. They met up four times a week, thrice in the morning and once in the evening. They texted, scrap that, Phichit primarily texted and Seung-gil occasionally responded. But there was no holding hands or dates- not being physically affectionate with each other. He knew he was probably the one to blame, but he was scared. What if Phichit got bored with him?

 

"Differs from one person to another," Guang Hong said earnestly, offering Seung-gil a knowing smile. "Our relationship developed fast- we've met like nine months ago, and yet it feels like I've known Leo all my life."

 

Seung-gil felt his jaw drop in astonishment. They knew each other for less than a year. Less than a year and yet they were already madly in love with each other. That didn't happen... often. Usually, it could take years before soulmates actually fell in love- though this also depended on the age.

 

"But Emil and Michele, on the other hand, are taking things fast and slow at the same time. After less than a week of knowing each other they already shared a kiss- but even now, nine months later, the affection is relatively one-sided, with Emil being more comfortable in a relationship then Michele."

 

Guang Hong continued on, an excited grin on his face. "And, maybe more relevant to you, back in college I knew someone who had taken three years to start dating their soulmate. For almost two years they had been in denial that the other was their soulmate- mainly because they thought the other was completely out of their league."

 

A certain pressing weight fell off his shoulders. So he wasn’t moving too slow- it could be worse. Though Seung-gil wasn’t yet completely assured. “And now?”

 

“I’m pretty sure they’re engaged by now,” a small smile crawled on his lips. So he wasn’t exactly a lost cause.

 

“Thanks,” he muttered. This was completely out of context. “For the advice, I mean.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Guang Hong chimed, eyes bright with life.

 

A comfortable quiet filled the room. Leo had grabbed his phone from somewhere unknown, and Guang Hong was sipping his now cold tea. Realising he had yet to finish his own beverage, Seung-gil drowned his own cup in one go.

 

“Hey, Seung-gil,” eyeing the brunet, Seung-gil saw Leo frowning at his phone. “Don’t you have dinner plan?”

 

Instinctively, Seung-gil whipped out his phone and checked the time. He was late- like really late. He definitely wouldn’t have the time to drop by his hotel room, shower and get some proper clothes. It seemed his shorts and shirt would’ve to do.

 

“Fuck.”

 

~*~

 

He had made it to dinner just in time. Phichit hadn’t mentioned anything, and per usual, they had fallen into their routine. Phichit talking- talking a lot- and Seung-gil listening and occasionally answering or inserting his own piece of story.

 

“I would kill for your legs,” Phichit casually remarked after a few moments of quiet. “Why don’t you wear shorts more often?”

 

Heat crawled up his skin. Up until now, he had switched his comfortable shorts for more proper pants. It just didn’t felt right to dress like some post-workout runner while Phichit always looked good and well-dressed.

 

“I always wear them,” Seung-gil mumbled, picking at his unwanted vegetables. “But they aren’t proper clothes for a meet-up.”

 

Phichit quirked an eyebrow, an amused smile was plastered on his face. “Says who?”

 

Seung-gil mentally groaned. He hated it when Phichit forced him to talk more- he always managed to mess it up when he had to utter more than one line. “Society?” he tried out, feeling like that was a proper answer.

 

“Well, screw society,” Phichit said cheekily. “I would offer my camera to see you every day in shorts.”

 

“I would die,” Seung-gil stated matter-of-factly. “Winter, remember?”

 

Phichit pouted and stuck his tongue out. “Still, you look fine like this, there’s no need to wear something you aren’t comfortable in.”

 

“You’re going to regret that,” Seung-gil remarked, a faint grin tracing his lips.

 

It was a challenge. A challenge Phichit accepted. “Oh, really, try me,” the photographer replied, a cheeky grin bright on display.

 

“Oversized ugly Christmas sweaters with shorts,” Seung-gil said, and he saw Phichit flinch.

 

“You’re putting me in a tight spot,” Phichit muttered, tugging a non-existing goatee. “Still not regretting my comment. The image is pretty nice actually.”

 

Why was Phichit like that? Seung-gil supposedly had pushed him into a corner, and yet the man knew how to response. Was it even possible to surprise this man?

 

There was.

 

“You know, I’ve been wondering,” Seung-gil nervously picked at his food. “Are you free next Monday?”

 

Phichit looked at him in utter astonishment. “I’m,” the man said after a while. “Why? Another dinner date?”

 

Seung-gil shook his head. “No, I managed to get a day off from work and well...” now or never. “Would you like to catch a movie? Your pick.”

 

He was, without a doubt, a bit smug seeing that he had rendered Phichit speechless. They haven’t been on an official date yet. Phichit, the sweetheart he is, had promised to take things slow. So that meant he wouldn’t initiate things anytime soon, waiting for Seung-gil to be ready to move forward.

 

“You’re okay?” he muttered after a while, unsure what to do. He hadn’t expected for Phichit to be that surprised. Maybe it was too soon for Phichit? He hadn’t taken into account that maybe Phichit too wanted to take things slow.

 

After a few seconds, Phichit seemed to come back to life. “Yes,” he said shakily. “Double yes- I would love to.”

 

The fact that Phichit still sounded speechless did funny things to his heart. It was weird to see Phichit not being loud and out there. It was, endearing. And special. It was possible that he might be one of the few people who saw Phichit like that.

 

“I’m glad,” Seung-gil murmured, an insecure smile playing on his lips. “I was afraid it was too... generic.”

 

Seung-gil flinched slightly when Phichit placed his hand atop of his, but after a few seconds, he eased into the touch. It didn’t felt bad, Phichit rough hands were comfortable against his supposedly tender skin.

 

“You could’ve taken me to visit a dump, and I would’ve said yes,” Phichit announced earnestly.

 

A flush coloured his neck red, but Seung-gil didn’t care. Phichit’s tender smile was worth it all- even if it meant they would be pressed together in small seats watching a movie Seung-gil probably wouldn’t enjoy. Love was honestly a weird thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Whoehoe, you made it! It's not as sappy as I usually like it, but I feel that it's important to realistically build their relationship, even if it means that it will be a slow burn. But don't fear, the next ones will be more relationship focussed and fluffier and cuter. ~~And sin. It's quite possible that part 5 is pure sin but I can't guarantee anything~~
> 
> Per usual constructive criticism is appreciated, just like Kudo's and comments. As an author I thrive on these things.
> 
> Title is fittingly stolen from the Enchanted soundtrack, keeping the Disney-theme strong ^o^


End file.
